Controlling mechanism for roller fire-shutters.



v w. s MILLER,

' CONTBOLLFNG MECHANiSM FOR ROLLER FIRE SHUTTERS.

memed Jan. 1918.

APPLICATION FELED APR. 14, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEE'T I.

I'NVENTOR Wifiz'am @Mzilen' WITNESSES.

W. G. MILLER.

CONTROLLING MECHANKSM FOR ROLLER HRE SHUH'EHSQ APPLICATION FILED APfi. 14,1935. 1,254,149.

Patenmi Jim, 2% 1918.

, iyiffz an?! 14 Zaien STATES PATsNT mama G. MILLER, on Tonom'o, omamo, CANADA, assmnon on" own-THIRD mo nanconua. MoLEOZD Ann ONE-THIRD T WILLIAM Housman; omaor Dnrnozt;

moment.

To all whom it may concern:

1 Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. MILLER, g a citizen of the United States, residing at Toronto, inthe county of York, Province of :Ontajri o, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Mechanism for Roller Fire-Shutters;

and I do declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such .as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of referonce marked thereon, which :torm a part of 15.

' roller, whereby the spring for actuatingthe roller ma I be setunder the required tension 2 to norma ly support the shutter and secured by disengageable locking means actuable under a given 'temperature ,for automatically "releasing said. spring and allowing said shutter. to .drop, -and wherein provision is "if'iiiadezthrough the employment of mechaln'ismjactuable by the force, of the spring "'j'when =re1eas'ed for imparting "n'iovelnent-to start-and insure the downward movement of the-shutter, also for engaging andQre-lockipg'i-hespring under aredu'ced tension so dueedyten'sion sufiicient to maassist in. t

Jest "cushion the shutter uponrreachingthe fits downward 'trarel and for; re-

said spring undera partial or.".re exert upon the the reuired rotaryforce to permit he raising '0 said "shutter..-a'fter m. am n iall have. been automatically dropped.

preferred form pf embodiment; of; the

1 oh; the ahove objects are attained is illused. in htch,

conrnomimo inncnamsm FOR noLLnnrinE-snmrms. I

ing in the locked position for .automatic and is fixedly attachedii'ther I The opposite e1"1'o'l' of-.- pr *axialiy to the inner endmff end oifsaid roller, .andf vi Cl at itsouter reduced end 6 t "a bearing '7 in theendw'a' housing 1. lieyed -toj' journaled torotatefon ovel featuresof the pr'es'entj ilivenltionrby, I

' d and iwg'hicli isdrgtailno the ac com'an rawn: in. jihfi exten e" 4;. a x

, T .Eaid studg'as-"cleaa'ly shown n Fig. Figure 11. is-a-front elevation of a shutteriavinga portio' i.. f '-'the housing and spring" tensioned barrelbr ibllerfl'riht'aind therein brokengaway to-show the. internal arrange-f 1; out offparts", and showingfthe con'troll'ing "mechanism attached to the'end ,ofthe 'housf Specification of Letters Patent. Pathtea J .1918. A ucano 'med" L'prt114,1916 Serial No. 91,138. 3 I

operation.

'Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the end portlon of the. housing carry-ing thecontrolling mechanism setinthe locked position, as shown in Fig. 1, and showing the. shutter in thejaisedfposition in'engagement with a spring pressed starting plunger.

Fig( 3"is also an end elevation of the hous ing showing the controlling mechanism rcleased from engagement with it's locking'lever and engaged with the starting plunger by which the downward movement ofthe shutter is' accelerated, the shutter bein shown in the. down extended position with one of the guide ways in which it travels removed. 1

. Fig.v 4 is a fragmentaryfvertical sectional view'through a portion ofthe housin' and the controlling mechanism, taken on otted IiI BHOfFig-QV Referring to the parts' of the deviceby' the characters ofreference'niarked"on tl'f sev eral views of the drawings, indicates a housing containing a revoluble ha'r'rehfor hollow rollenl, upon which a flexible apron so or shutter 2"is supported to windthereon andto travel in vertical-guides 3 arranged at oppositesides-of a doorway org-opening to be closed by -the shutter. A 'ooiled spring 4 for exerting rotary force'tupon the barrel or" roller '2 is contitin'ed within fen-d.

arbor 5," which is rotatab 9Q the stub shaft 5, e" i is a pinion 9, thegfteeth 'ay s law h lowering of the shutter through the application of upward or downward pressure thereon. This locking means comprises a latch lever 14' which is positioned vertically adjacent the periphery of the gear and is pivotally connected at one end by a stud or rivet 15 to a bracket 16 projecting from the head 8 of the housinv to swing outwardly thereon, and formed 1n the inner face of a lateral projection 17-on said lever is a trans verse depression or keeper 18 having an out wardly inclined shoulder 19 against which the radially projecting end of a locking pin 20, which is seated in a boss or lug 21 on the face of the gear 10, is adapted to engage. Said lever is normally held in locked engagement with this pin by means of a flexible tie rod or cable 22, one end of which is attachedfito a support 23 on the housing and the opposite end is secured to the free endof said lever. Inserted in the body of said cable is a fusible link 24: adapted to fuse at a given temperature tiorelease the lever for disengagement by the pressure of the locking pin .upon the'inclined shoulder 19 thereof, which will cause said lever to swing outwardly and release the gear to rotate with the pinionunder the unwinding action of the spring whichlatter in relaxing its tension upon the roller will allow the shutter to drop and close the doorway or opening. (See Figs. 1 and 3.)

To insure the starting of the shutter on its downward movement and to provide for retaining the spring under a relaxed ten- 7 sion to cushion; the fall of thefishutter and to maintain the roller under suficient rotary tensionto assist in raising thegshutter after having been automatically;lowered, the following mechanism is employed: As best shown I in Fig. 2, a rod or plunger 25 is positioned adjacent the periphery of the 0f ever and is mounted 'to slide vertically ext-r10 upon the side opposite-the locking throughspaced bearinglugs 26 and'27 projecting laterally from the head 8 of the housing. ';Embracingthe upper? end of the plunger and interposed between a collar 28 -the'reon and the bearing lug 26 is an expansiye coiled spring'295 uncler'the tension of which said. plunger is normally held extended upwardly 1n contact at its upper end withfa limiting stop 30 eatendigg from the I head 8' of said housing. lower edge of the shu'tterB which is prouided'with abuse- 1 strip 31: and stiffening angle 32 has secured.

- there'to at one end bv boltsfor rivets33 a curved arm Sew-Incl; extends around the ,vertical guide 3 and terminates in a foot 35 25 with which it is adapted to engage when said shutter is in the raised position, as shown in Fig. 2. An impact collar 36 is secured to the plunger between the bearings 26 and 27 and is so positioned as to lie in the path of travel of a striking lug 37 projecting from the periphery of the gear 10 and by engagement with which said plunger is driven downwardly against the arm 34 of the shutter, being limited in its downward movement bythe engagement of said collar with a cushioning pad 38 mounted on the bearing 27, and which also serves as a stop to limit the rotation of said gear and to lock the spring under a remaining tension, asshown in Fig. 3.

With the parts set in the position shown in Fig. 2, the operation of the device will be understood as follows: Upon the release of the locking lever by the fusing of the link, the gear being released will be driven through the rotation of the'pinion by the unwinding action of the spring, and as the striking lug of said gear engages the impact collar of the plunger said plunger will be forced downwardly against the tension of its spring and driven at its lower end against the engaging arm of the shutter. The force of the plunger thus exerted upon the shutter following the relaxing of the tension of the spring upon the roller will start said shutter on its downward course and upon reaching .re-lock the spring and retain the roller under a reduced tension which will serve to retard and cushion the shutter at the completion of its travel, and which will maintain said roller under sufficient rotary lifting force exerted on said shutter to enable the latter to be raised in case .of emergency without requiring the resetting and locking of the spring under its normal tension. 4

It is obvious that the structural details herein disclosed may he varied without departing from the essential features, and the invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as properly corrie wiihip the scope of the following claims.

the combination of a roller'having a shutt'er thereon, a spring in said roller connected at one end thereto, a shaft extending into said roller and connected to the opposite end ofsai'dspring, releasable means for ,locking said shaft against rotation under the. tenslon of said spring, and meansmovable into engagement1 with the shutter and actua'ble by said locking means when released to impart a downward movement to the shutter and to relock said-shaftgmder 'eaid shorter at the limit of by said locking nieane and a stop "to limih looking means and with said spring under .ing and carrying a, partial renninn said epr iier thereon, her, a aha roller, a sprir no n at V .4 shaft and at its opposite releasable locking means cor restraining said shaft 'againsn rotaiion 311% der the tension of said spring, a soring' pressed plunger inorahie into engagement with the of shorter aotuahie when need to inn part a dovmwerd mover m; to said-simmer, e oremeni; of said plunger and to reioeh shaft iiinder from sionof said spring. 3. In controlling ihe combination of z iterthereon, a sw rl ed at one and the o, :1 said roller conne in die opposite end of said spring", re sable looking means connected "with and retraining said shaftrotation under ixhe tension of said spring, starting means associated with the the shutter and aeiig means when reieased oi i for fire shatters, i a shun;

in into livable by said Koch to engage and wardly and thereafter relock said shaft and v a partial tension to are tard and cushion 'sihe shutter in its down- Ward travel.

4. In controlling means for fire shutrers, a housing, a roller journaied in said h0usa shutter thereon, shaft eniendinginiuo said rolier, a spring connected at, one end a) said shaft and at its opposite end to said roiler, a pinion on said shaft, a gear momma-2d on said housing in mesh with said pinwn, releasable locking means for restraining said gear against rotation, a spring pressed plunger." mounted on said housing and movable inhy: engagement with said shutter,

' one end impact member shutter downof said shutter,

a striking member on said gear &

aoied to engage said plunger when rehy saidiocking means, and. means to the movement of said plunger and to said gear. means for fire shutters, e mhzmation of housing, a roller vfour naleo. in. said housing and carrying" a shut rer thereon, a shaft joornaled in said housand esitending into one end of said roller, a spring thereto and at its opposite end to shaft, a pinion on said shaft a gear aiod on said housing in mesh "with said releasable locking" means for resaid gear against rotation under of said spring, a spring pressed ted on said housing and mov s gagement with said shutter, an impact member on said plunger, a striking member on said upon the release of said locking means to drive said plunger against said shutter, means to limit the movement of plunger and said gear. 1

6. In eon troliing" means for fire shutters, the combination of a roller having a ter thereom'aprojecting arm onjsaid shut.- ter, a shaft exWinding into said roller, a spring'connected'at one end to said shaft and at its opposite end to said roller, a pin ion on said shaft a gear mounted on a fixed support in mesh with locking means for restraining said gear against rotation. a spring mounted on afixed support' adjacent said gear and movableinto engagement with the arm on said shutter, an impact member on said plunger, a striking member projecting from said gem-"adapted to engage said impact member upon the release of said locking means to drive said plunger against the arm and a stop with which said impact member, engages to limit the movement of said plunger and said gear.

In testimony whereof, I sign this speci- WILLIAM G, MILLER.

fication.'

gear adapted to engage said pressed plunger in said roller connected at 1 shot:

said pinion, releasable, 

